Mentewab - Amharic: "How beautiful"; circa 1706 - 27 June 1773), was Empress of Ethiopia, consort of

Emperor Bakaffa, mother of Iyasu II and grandmother of Iyoas and from Portuguese ancestors.
The first European to see these churches was the Portuguese explorer Pêro da Covilhã (1460–1526).Later a Portuguese
priest Francisco Alvares (1465-1540), who accompanied the Portuguese Ambassador on his visit to Lebna Dengel in the
1520s. His description of these structures concludes: “I weary of writing more about these buildings, because it seems to
me that I shall not be believed if I write more ... I swear by God, in Whose power I am, that all I have written is the truth”
From 330 to 356 AD King Ezana ruled the ancient Aksumite kingdom that is known today as Ethiopia,
Eritreia, and Yemen. Ezana fought against the Nubians and recorded his victories on stone written in
Ge’ez (the ancient Ethiopian language), Sabaen (South Arabian) and Greek praising God for his victories.
The Stelae are perhaps the most identifiable part of the Aksumite legacy. These stone towers served
to mark graves The largest of these towering obelisks would measure 33 meters high had it not
fallen.
The Stelae have most of their mass out of the ground, but are stabilized by massive underground
counter-weights. The stone was often engraved with a pattern or emblem denoting the king's or the
noble's rank.
A 17th century Manuscript
Ethiopian legend says that the Ark of the Covenant is kept here - (the 10 Commandments given to Moses by God).
No one is allowed inside except one priest who resides in the building for life and is the guardian of the Ark.